Citrus growers to expand export horizons

Citrus growers and exporters will be looking to increase their export options this season as the American market becomes more competitive.

The US has been a valuable market for the Australian industry in recent years but a high Australian dollar and competition from countries such as Chile, South Africa and Peru have made it less profitable.

Citrus Australia's general manager of marketing, Andrew Harty, says significant work is being carried out to open up market access to South-East Asia and Korea, to give the industry options other than the US.

"We now face a situation where a lot of suppliers are saying they're not really prepared to continue to incur losses in that market, especially the second half of the season in the US, and are looking for alternative destinations to send their fruit," he said.

Citrus Australia will hold a regional forum at the Berri Hotel today from 3:00pm (ACDT).